Failure and the Freezer Door

I really wanted to be mad at whoever left the freezer door open.  My mind went immediately to worst case scenario. What if the freezer experienced motor failure trying to keep an even temperature with the door cracked open?  And what about the pounds of meat thawing as if I was preparing food to feed an army?

As I fumed about the carelessness of an open freezer door, while checking the meat and unplugging the freezer to restart its cycle God stopped me in my tracks.

When God Speaks

Whoever had left the door open had not done it as an act of rebellion against me. It was a mistake; however careless and negligent it had been.  Regardless of the aftereffects of the blunder.

The question God asked of me was “What do I do when your carelessness brings about failure in your life?  Do I berate you and turn a cold shoulder to you until you recognize what an awful thing you have done?”

No, of course not. God does not act that way.  His lovingkindness is showcased repeatedly in each of our lives when we are faced with our own careless actions that result in failure.

In fact, we find God’s actions highlighted in Joshua’s life when disobedience in the camp brought about defeat at Ai, as well as when Joshua was duped by the Gibeonites deception.

When Joshua cried out to the Lord in anguish because of the loss at Ai we find God telling him the reason for the defeat. Disobedience had happened. Sin is what caused the Israelites to become cowards instead of the courageous soldiers they had been in the last battle.

The lives of thirty-six men had been lost, not just a few pounds of beef. Yet God’s mercy was extended when the sin was confessed.

After Defeat and Failure

When we are faced with disobedience in our lives, God is faithful to show us our wrongdoing.  We must confess the sin that brought about the defeat. Then we must get up, brush ourselves off and keep going.

God did not let the Israelites wallow in self-pity. Nor were they left without God’s help. When the sin had been confessed and removed from the camp God directed them to fight the city of Ai again. He told them not to be afraid and promised victory.

Can you imagine the concern felt by the men who had survived the first attack?  Yet despite their past defeat, God had promised to be with them. The defeat was in the past. Now their orders were to confront the enemy another time.

God still works the same way. He doesn’t browbeat us nor become distant. Yes, we must acknowledge and confess our sin.  God then gives of His forgiveness and grace. His strength is there to help us withstand the adversary again.

Ai was defeated when the Israelites chose to humble themselves and acknowledge their sin. They renewed their covenant with God. In doing so, victory resulted.

God’s love
and forgiveness
is not contingent
on our perfection
or unmarred standard.

God’s love and forgiveness is not contingent on our perfection and unmarred standard. None of us can live there in and of ourselves. It is only as we live in-sync with God and we draw from his power that victory will be the outcome.

God’s Intervention

Joshua’s life holds another example of how God interacts after failure.

The Israelites became careless after their victory at Ai. In today’s language, they let up on their personal quiet time with God. This left the door ajar for catastrophe.

When the Gibeonites showed up at the Israelites camp asking for a peace treaty they did not consult with God about their decision.  They only considered the evidence the Gibeonites displayed. This resulted in the wrong conclusion.

The Israelites made a vow to keep peace with the Gibeonites. They became an ally to the Gibeonites, promising to protect them in times of conflict.

Three days later they realized they had been duped. This deception turned disaster was not open rebellion, but carelessness that brought about failure.

However, God still works despite our mess-ups.  In fact, when the Gibeonites were under attack by neighboring kings they sent word to the Israelites to come and help them.

God didn’t say, “You messed this one up. You’re on your own.”  No. In fact God specifically told them not to be afraid and that He would give them victory in this battle. This was the same method that God used after the defeat at Ai.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.”

Joshua 10:8

Reorientation after Failure

God comes and works in our lives despite our brokenness and shortcomings.  Our failures do not cause God to turn away from us.  Instead, God repeatedly reorients us when we fail. His lovingkindness and tender mercies are extended time and again in our lives. He gathers us close and assures us of His love and then sets us on our feet with a renewed spirit.

Within this story of Joshua coming to aid the Gibeonites an amazing miracle takes place.  God causes the sun and moon to stand still till the victory is won. Just wow!

Looking at this scenario from a human standpoint, this battle was the Israelites problem.  I mean really, this was the result of their lack of communication with God. Yet, God intervened. 

Letting Go of Self-Sufficiency

This illustration of God’s intervention is not a picture of a distant God when we as humans fail.  Instead, God is there reminding us how much He is for us and wants victory in our lives.

The reality of our failures
reminds us
to reach past the façade
of our own self-sufficiency
and leap into
God’s all-sufficient grace.

Today, God is still involving Himself in the lives of his people who are prone to failures and foibles. He intervenes in the mess-ups of our lives as we hold the pieces up to Him in contrition.

The reality of our failures reminds us to reach past the facade of our own self-sufficiency and leap into God’s all-sufficient grace.

It is daily dependence on God that brings victory in the battles that we face.

What failure have you been tempted to wallow in? God doesn’t want that for you. Get up and go on in God’s strength.